Abstract
We report on a matched-filter search for gravitational wave bursts from cosmic string cusps using LIGO data from the fourth science run (S4) which took place in February and March 2005. No gravitational waves were detected in 14.9 days of data from times when all three LIGO detectors were operating. We interpret the result in terms of a frequentist upper limit on the rate of gravitational wave bursts and use the limits on the rate to constrain the parameter space (string tension, reconnection probability, and loop sizes) of cosmic string models. Many grand unified theory-scale models (with string tension Gμ/c2≈10-6) can be ruled out at 90% confidence for reconnection probabilities p ≤ 10-3 if loop sizes are set by gravitational back reaction.
Recommended Citation
B. P. Abbott et al., "First LIGO Search for Gravitational Wave Bursts from Cosmic (Super)Strings," Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, vol. 80, no. 6, American Physical Society (APS), Sep 2009.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.80.062002
Department(s)
Physics
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1550-7998
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2009 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Sep 2009
